It’s not often I have the time to make fresh homemade pasta. As the father of two kids, it’s rare my wife and I have free time for anything. However, recently with our new born sleeping peacefully, I decided to make some homemade lobster ravioli and take advantage of the moment! Growing up my mother would make fresh pasta with my brother and I and it was quite the family event. As kids you couldn’t get us to clean our rooms but spend an entire afternoon making homemade gnocchi (as my brother did)? No problem! Maybe I could get him to stop by and clean up after my kids and make gnocchi???? Probably not likely. Today, I’m sharing my lobster ravioli recipe and while it may take some time and require you to give it everything you got, when it’s all said and done you will loooove your dinner and so will your family!

Start by making a flour like volcano and add eggs in the middle with olive oil and salt (use Antico Molino tipo 00 and Moretti Semolina flour for best results). Then slowly beat the eggs with a fork or whisk while piercing the flour with each turn. Continue until the pasta dough starts to firm and you can use your hands to squeeze, push, kneed, and grab the dough into form (add water if necessary in case dough seems tough). Once ready, put dough under a bowl to rest for 30-60 minutes. For the lobster filling you can boil your own lobster or buy one steamed but either way, be sure the lobster is slightly undercooked because you’re going to cook it further. Whatever you decide, remove and clean the lobster meat and chop into small chunks. Then finely cut fresh parsley, shallot, and saute the lobster meat in a pan with olive oil for 5-10 minutes. After the saute cools add fresh ricotta, mix well and store in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

If you have a pasta machine, cut the pasta dough in half and flatten with your hands (or dough roller) and run it through the pasta machine at level 10 and work the pasta all the way down to level 2. If you don’t have a pasta machine (like me) take your dough roller and continue to press down and roll for about 15 minutes or until your arms and shoulders are about to fall off. Once you have the dough very thin, place it over your ravioli maker and pocket the dough so the filling can be pressed in firmly. If you don’t have a ravioli maker (like me…again) use a cookie cutter or small drinking glass to create circles and then add the filling (obviously cut a top and bottom for the ravioli). Be sure to seal and press down the pasta so that no air enters the ravioli. I was able to make 28 very large ravioli with the ingredients I prepared so if you follow my recipe, invite some company or freeze the ravioli like I did and be ready to see them another time (or make toasted ravioli with the extras).

Now for full disclosure, I’m not a big fan of ricotta or creamy thick sauces (as my Pasta Carbonara post suggests) but my wife does love these kind of Northern Italian, French style recipes, so I try to play nice. To make the tomato cream sauce add garlic, shallots, and then diced tomatoes, cream, butter and some chopped fresh basil in a pan. If you’re planning on cooking all 28 ravioli get a GI-normous pan or a large pot to make the sauce and here’s why. Once the ravioli floats to the top of the boiled water, immediately add them in the pan with a light handful of grated Reggiano Parmigiano. Now you’re ready to serve and impress! It’s hard work but soooooo worth it and it’s better than left over Koo Koo Roo. There you have it, Homemade Lobster Ravioli from Paggi Pazzo – we hope you approve!

To make pasta dough, place 3 1/2 cups of flour on cutting board or counter and shape into a volcano with an opening in the middle. Crack eggs into middle of flour (removing shells) and add 4 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of salt

Slowly beat and stir eggs in a circular motion while slowly including flour into egg mix. After several minutes, egg and flour will come together creating greater consistency and become soft like dough mixture. Once thicker, use hands to press remaining flour into dough and push, flatten, and kneed until ready (add water to mixture if necessary)

Take pasta dough and cover with large bowl for 30 minutes

If cooking lobster, boil water and place lobster in water for 12 minutes and remove when slightly undercooked. If buying steamed lobster, request lobster slightly undercooked (lobster meat will be cooked again to create filling)

Remove lobster meat, clean and place into a bowl

To prepare lobster filling, chop 1/2 of shallot, 3/4 cup of fresh parsley and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to pan. Add salt and pepper and cook for 3-5 minutes at low to medium heat. Add lobster meat and cook at low heat for 5 minutes then remove to cool for 10 minutes

Add fresh ricotta to a bowl with lobster, shallot, parsley filling and mix. Then place in refrigerator for 30 minutes

To make ravioli, take pasta dough and flour on both sides, then use hands to flatten (if using a pasta machine, add dough to machine at highest level of 10 and continue to put pasta back in machine until pasta thins to level 2). Cut dough in half and use dough roller to flatten both pieces of pasta repeatedly turning pasta over (and flouring lightly) on both sides until pasta is almost paper thin (this will require 10-15 minutes)

If using ravioli maker, place one sheet of dough on top of ravioli maker but pocket dough firmly to create space for filling. Then add lobster-ricotta filling using a full tablespoon. Add second sheet of pasta on top of ravioli maker, pressing doughs together to keep lobster-ricotta filling firmly inside and then turn over (if not using a ravioli maker, use a small drinking glass or cookie cutter and press into pasta dough to shape out circles and then add filling and cover). Then use a fork to press against ravioli ends to create lined edges. Add flour to cooking sheet pan and place ravioli on top then freeze over night (I was able to make 28 large ravioli with pasta dough and filling). If cooking the same day, allow ravioli dough to dry before adding to boiling water

To make sauce and lobster ravioli dinner, add chopped garlic and 1/2 shallot (also finely chopped) to pan with tablespoon of olive oil and pinch of salt and pepper and heat for 3-5 minutes. Then add 1/4 cup of chopped fresh parsley to the oil, garlic, and shallot and turn to low heat

Great recipe……. No this recipe is not great it is AWESOME !!!! I made it as per above and the family loved it. We have now enjoyed the same dish with Artic deep sea crab and leader prawns all just as fabulous.
Thank you for sharing,
Cheers
David

I’m thinking of making ravioli’s for my wife, for the first time by the way. The problem is that she doesn’t like cheese. Can I leave the ricotta out without hampering the flavor? Is there a suitable substitute?

Hey Johnny,
Thanks for the comment and checking out the blog/recipe. I’ve never considered homemade ravioli without cheese, we’re shaking the foundation of pasta Johnny!! 🙂
What comes to mind if we’re talking about lobster, a soft vegetable could be a good substitute. Something like squash (butternut). Another potential alternative could be perhaps even cauliflower with saffron or steamed soft eggplant. Let us know what you decide and how it comes out, hopefully it’s a hit with your wife.

Hello Mark,
Thank you very much for your comment and for stopping by the blog. I chop the lobster meat into little chunks, small enough to fit into the ravioli but also not minced or diced. I like to taste chunks of lobster meat in my ravioli 🙂
I hope the recipe is a hit at your Christmas dinner, enjoy!

Thanks for the recipe. I made the ravioli last night and cooked them fresh for a first course today. It was a big hit that got rave reviews. I did add a little more cream and just a touch of sugar to the sauce. Rolling the pasta wasnt that bad but this is a time consuming dish so give yourself a few hours. I never post on the web but I wanted you and other people to know that this recipe is an A+.

Hello Kiki,
Yes you are correct. Add the parsley after the shallot and garlic have slowly dissolved into the oil. I will update the cooking directions to be more specific and I hope you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for your comment.

I had to laugh when I read this one. I can imagine you making fresh pasta and then stretch it, not an easy thing to do as you found out.
The recipe is very appetizing and very rich and as usual very inventive, next time try to make it with a little pork, some prosciutto and mushrooms. The world is your table.